Maybe the Edmonton Investors Group should have held out for a little more.

Maybe $201 million.

The team they just sold certainly looked like a million bucks last night against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Posting their second straight victory - a carbon copy of Monday's 5-0 win over the Calgary Flames - the Edmonton Oilers were fast, gritty smart and made things happen offensively in a 4-1 decision over the struggling visitors.

They had goals from four different players and another stellar night in goal from Mathieu Garon (who stopped 40 of 41 shots) in upping their record to 25-26-5.

With Chicago on a four-game losing streak and Edmonton fighting for its playoff life, neither side could afford to lose, but Edmonton was clearly the more desperate side.

DIDN'T LET IT SLIP

This is a game they've let slip away in the past, gassing one against a weaker team after a couple of strong efforts (anybody remember the Kings at the end of their four-game winning streak?), but they picked up right where they left off against Calgary.

Zack Stortini set the tone, laying out Adam Burish with a big open ice hit and then squaring off with Martin Lapointe just 19 seconds after the opening faceoff.

It was Chicago, however, that drew first blood on the scoreboard. The Hawks led after 20 minutes on Patrick Sharp's power play goal late in the frame.

But the Oilers stormed back in the second period. Jarret Stoll tied it on a power play point shot at 2:16, then Dustin Penner and Ethan Moreau scored on deflections 34 seconds apart (at 8:10 and 8:44) to give Edmonton a 3-1 lead.

Any thoughts of a Chicago comeback were put to rest 51 seconds into the third period when Joni Pitkanen put a slapshot over Patrick Lalime's shoulder to make it 4-1.

Edmonton closed the gap on eighth place to six points (pending the late game between Colorado and San Jose), but will have to sit and wait for Saturday's game in Calgary while Columbus, Phoenix and Nashville make up games in hand.

SOURAY SET FOR SURGERY: Sheldon Souray will undergo arthroscopic surgery today on his shoulder and will be out for two weeks, and perhaps the rest of the season.

The surgeon in New Jersey will inspect the damage and do some repair work, after which he'll decide the best course of action for a complete recovery.

If Edmonton doesn't have a realistic shot at the playoffs, he won't come back. Even if they are in the hunt, if the surgeon thinks Souray is at risk for further damage, he won't return till next fall.

"We'll see the extent of the damage once they get in there," said MacTavish, adding the best case scenario isn't all that good.

"We expect it'll be longer than (a week or two). Until he gets in there and fixes some of the damage, we're not going to know for sure what the time frame is, but it's expected to be a lot longer than short term."

HORC UNDER KNIFE: Shawn Horcoff had his shoulder surgery yesterday, during which doctors found a large tear in the labrum. "He said he was a walking time bomb for a shoulder dislocation because of the tear," said GM Kevin Lowe. There's no reason he won't be 100% for training camp ... With Geoff SAnderson's return to the lineup and trade for Curtis Glencross, the Oilers sent Patrick Thoresen down to Springfield.